Crestone at night · Sean Coyle, 2026 ROB Retreat
Fifth Annual Refuge of Belonging Retreat
Crestone Mountain Zen Center
August 22–28, 2027
In August 2026, the Refuge of Belonging community gathered at Crestone Mountain Zen Center. It was, quite simply, the most powerful retreat we have ever taught.
Something about the combination of this community, our history in Crestone, the depth of practice, and the extraordinary setting allowed us to go very deep together. We left Crestone knowing we wanted to return.
So in August 2027, we will.
Our 2026 retreat community · Photo: Sean Coyle
Join devon + nico for a week of deep practice and shared exploration at Crestone Mountain Zen Center, where nico lived and trained through much of his twenties—a homecoming to a place steeped in silence, lineage, and the rhythms of daily practice.
Over the course of the week, we will practice with Buddhist meditation teachings designed to awaken insight (vipassanā) and intimacy with life as it is.
The retreat begins with an evening of arrival and orientation on Sunday, opening with a community conversation and an overview of the week ahead. The following days unfold in noble silence, supported by sitting and walking meditation, guided practice, dharma talks, and both group and individual practice meetings with devon + nico.
As the capstone gathering of our practice year, this retreat is a chance for the Refuge of Belonging community to come together in person, practice wholeheartedly, and deepen into the heart of refuge—clear seeing, belonging, and embodied awakening.
Wildflowers at the Zen Center · Sean Coyle, 2026 ROB Retreat
Prerequisites
To participate in this annual community retreat, please ensure you meet the following:
At least two prior week-long insight meditation retreats – this retreat builds upon established practice.
An ongoing relationship with devon and/or nico – this is our annual reunion for members of the extended Refuge of Belonging community.
Traveling to Crestone
Crestone Mountain Zen Center is a four-hour drive from Denver International Airport (DIA). You can also fly into Alamosa Regional Airport, about an hour from Crestone. We’ll help participants connect with one another to coordinate shared travel to and from Crestone.
Reflections from Crestone
What made this retreat special was the serene mountain setting; the hospitality of the resident Zen community; and the emotional safety provided by a sangha that is well-established. The long travel to Crestone was well-worth it—in fact, it provided a special opportunity to get to know other participants before going into silence, and to bond over the shared experience, afterwards.
-Carlos Velez
The Refuge of Belonging retreat at Crestone Mountain Zen Center (CMZC) is like no other on-land retreat experience on my 15 year Dharma path. The CMZC community is warm, friendly, and so supportive of our RoB Sangha. Hearing nico and devon’s dharma talks and practicing in the zendo and on the surrounding campus land was a delight. While the journey to arrive at CMZC may appear long, attuning to the nature of the Colorado Rocky Mountains grounded me and my friends in the dharma even before arrival.
-Bob Nedbal
My experience getting there included a shift in my work schedule and my caretaking responsibilities. I had to make subtle and overt boundaries with loved ones in order to make space for retreat. It turns out, I can rely on my community and be independent of it. I can just sit and breathe and rather than falling apart, my relationships are all the better for it.
I marveled, wept, gasped with astonishment, and raged, all before walking into the Zendo. The trip is harrowing. The arrival on the cushion in the shared body of community suffused and saturated. A hot bath after a bumpy ride, like coming home.
-Cat Kilmer
Timing
The retreat begins with arrival between 2–5pm on Sunday, August 22nd, and concludes by 10am on Saturday, August 28th.
Cost
This is a dāna-based retreat. There is no fixed tuition. A non-refundable deposit of $300 is required to hold your place.
Please note: There are no single rooms at Crestone Mountain Zen Center. Most rooms are doubles or triples.
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Click here for all the photos from our 2026 retreat at Crestone Mountain Zen Center.